grits

Ms. Lakshmi serves it on a bed of traditional Southern cheesy grits and suggests chowchow pickles, an old-time relish, as a side.

That week, they were going on a surf-and-turf version of shrimp and grits: steak tips, seared shrimp, a lake of cheesy grits and, right on top, a tangle of sweet-savory onions.

One of my favorite lazy breakfasts, picked up from childhood summers in the Carolinas, was a bowl of cheesy grits topped with tomato gravy and a lush, freshly burst egg yolk.

He loves incorporating greens and, as a Southerner, grits.

Like grits, greens and biscuits, gravy is a Southern staple born out of necessity, of making the best out of very little.